


Two Sides Of Every Story

by knavessofhearts



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-07
Updated: 2016-01-07
Packaged: 2018-05-12 09:38:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5661628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knavessofhearts/pseuds/knavessofhearts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In Storybrooke Maine, Belle French learns that her library is being shut down, meaning she is losing her job. While returning home, Belle drops her keys into a drain and has to walk home. In another scenario, she doesn’t lose her keys and comes home to find her boyfriend is cheating on her and leaves him. One Belle doesn’t find out and continues on trying to keep her life from crumbling apart, the other Belle must start again. She meets the charismatic, pawn-broker named James Gold who helps her build her life anew. </p><p>But which scenario is the one that has a happy ending?<br/>(AU of Sliding Doors)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Two Sides Of Every Story

She was ecstatic, that should have been her first sign that something was going to give. Belle rarely let herself feel at complete ease, loosen her grip and control and just let things be. But life has been going so well she hadn't a care in the world. She had a fantastic life, as adventurous and fun life could be in a small town in Maine. She had a great job, a great boyfriend, a great apartment, had a great weekend and was bound to have a great Monday.

Belle didn’t bother keeping quiet as she got ready for work that morning, Keith was so hungover he may as well of been comatose. She kissed the top of his forehead goodbye, and his eyebrow twitched slightly in response. She cleared away the empty bottles in her vicinity, resigning the rest to Keith when he woke up, and flew out the door and down the steps.

It was a brilliantly sunny day, a remarkable feat in itself, and just made Belle smile wider. Everything seemed so much lighter and free on a sunny day, probably because they had so few in Storybrooke, and it was as lucky a charm as a four leaf clover. Not a cloud in the sky hinted at dampening Belle’s spirits, until she saw a yellow notice with a bolded, red title pinned to the library’s door. NOTICE OF EVICTION. And the pin dropped, as did the first drops of rain betraying the once sunny and optimistic day.

Belle violently ripped the notice off the door and rushed inside, to find her co-worker sitting glumly on the floor leaning against the borrowing counter. Her red-headed companion offered Belle a tissue, whose own face was red and splotchy as Belle sank down beside her.

“Two weeks. After 28 years of this library running they expect us to move out in two weeks.” Ariel sniffled, and Belle crumpled the eviction notice into her fist.

“They can’t do this! I know it’s been pretty slow recently…”

“Belle.” Ariel stared at her, “No one has walked through that door apart from us in almost a month! No one wants to use a library anymore unless you are Will and drunk out of your mind.”

Belle opened her mouth to argue against the obvious, but came up empty-handed. Belle let her head hit the counter hardly as she stared up the ceiling dejected.

“So that’s it? We’re just out of the job?” She sighed, and Ariel yanked the tissue out of Belle’s hand and blowed loudly. Belle looked around sadly at the stacks of shelves and their precious cargo, every single book that was a treasure and comfort to Belle- even the tacky coloured walls and flooring she was going to miss. The library felt more like home to Belle than any house ever had, and it had been closed down for good. All these books had nowhere to go after this, it was the end of the line.

After another hour and 50-odd tissues, Belle managed to convince Ariel to go home, that she would take care of the place and start to close up the place. Belle locked the doors midday, her heart heavy with disappointment as she remembered her excitement to spend the entire day lost among the shelves. Now she had to go home and come to the realisation she now didn’t have a job, and to start fishing out job vacancies in The Mirror. How was she going to pay rent, when Keith was still unemployed to focus on his ‘novel’, or memoir, or some writing that never did get much writing put toward it. How was Belle going to support them both now, her check from the library had barely been enough to cover expenses as it was.

Belle was so lost in her thoughts, she didn’t look up in time to see a figure in her way, and collided heavily with a well-tailored suit. A cane went flying and the two fell to the ground in an awkward jumble. Belle pulled herself off the poor man, who as she helped to their feet she realised with a terrible fear was none other than Mr Gold, the town’s pawnbroker. Belle had been conditioned from rumours and town gossip he was a man never to cross, with no facts to corroborate the claims in Belle’s opinions- but she kept a wary distance anyhow.  

“I am. SO, so sorry, Mr Gold!” Belle began to apologise and leant down to pick up his cane and hand it back to him. The poor man seemed so flustered and disoriented from Belle absent-mindedly attacking him. Belle couldn’t ever recall being this close to the man before. She’d never had much cause to cross paths with him, and he seemed like an entirely different person than the one she’d only ever glimpsed at from afar. Despite his rather faded, mousey brown hair, his face and eyes still glowed with a youthfulness, and nothing at all like some mad tyrant- but a gentle soul with a guarded expression that many had interpreted as hostility.  

“It’s-it’s no matter at all.” He said, “Have a nice day.” with a slight smile as he fixed his tie, before giving her a courteous nod and going on his way. With that, Belle marched on forward into her day and to her car, fishing out her keys and hoping Keith would be awake and able to comfort her. Surely her day couldn’t get any worse.

~

_Belle locked the doors to the library at midday, giving her precious books one last, longing glance through the dusty window before turning away and heading towards her car. Lost in her thoughts, Belle wondered if Keith would still be in bed when she got home, hoping he’d be able to put a smile back on her face after this terrible morning. She was almost to her car, when her heel got stuck in a crack in the pavement, and Belle tumbled head-first into the pavement. She felt her forehead smack into the concrete, and squinting through the pain, saw too late as her bag sprawled open like a water balloon exploding. Belle knew with dread what bad luck was about to befall her, as she stretched her arm out in a pitiful attempt to stop it from happening, as her car keys scattered into the drain and out of sight. Perfect. She swore profusely, something she never did, and was sure the pawnbroker who worked down the street-who chose this exact minute to be walking past- frowned in confusion at the strange librarian cursing at a drain._

_Belle tried pull herself up, but stopped immediately as a sharp, shooting pain from her head kicked in. Touching it gingerly with her hand and came back covered in blood, confirmed that her day could in fact get much worse than it already had. Archie rushed over from across the street with Pongo on his leash, and helped Belle up and offered to drive her to the hospital. She gratefully accepted, knowing nothing else could possibly go wrong today now._

_~_

Belle returned to her apartment in almost the exact same condition she had left it, with the exception of blaring stereo music and clothes strewn across the hallway. Belle should have realised something wasn’t right the very second she opened the door, but her was so far elsewhere, so convinced nothing else horrible could ever happen to her today, she didn’t notice the pink blouse and black skirt lying in the hall weren’t hers, or that Keith didn’t like playing music too loudly in the apartment because it ‘distracted his muse’. All Belle could think about was Keith, and how he would make her feel better. For all his faults and shortcomings, he had always managed to make her smile. It was one of the best things about their relationship and the worst. 

Even when Belle was stark raving mad at him for doing a typical Keith thing, he knew how to make her laugh and she would forget she was angry at him until he could escape punishment. It made Belle even angrier, and the cycle would continue until Belle would just give up. Keith was a simple-mind, their life was simple and unmessy. Belle didn’t care if she was angry at Keith for not cleaning up the apartment, or that he had cracked open a bottle of brandy at midday, Belle only wanted Keith to make her laugh and forget her troubles like he always did. Belle never even considered, that the blouse that wasn’t hers would have an owner, and that owner would be in her bed and on top of her boyfriend as she entered their bedroom. 

Belle felt anger and heartbreak and shock flood into her veins and ignite every nerve ending at once when she saw Keith and a random, dark haired women in the midst of raucous sex in her bed _._ And as quickly as it came the anger dissipated, and Belle began to expel an aura of frightening calamity- that sent Keith’s face as white as a sheet. Belle just closed her eyes, and listened as the unnamed, faceless woman scampered out of the apartment with her clothes, and opened her eyes again when she heard the door close. Keith looked at her and waited for the lid to blow off, for Belle to scream at him or cry, or maybe he was trying to create an elaborate explanation and apology. Belle didn’t care. She just grabbed her handbag and spun on her heels, slamming the door in Keith’s face as he tried to come after her. Belle didn’t give him a goodbye, he didn’t deserve a second more of her time. 

Belle eventually found herself at Ruby’s doorstep, teary eyed and hair a mess, who pulled Belle into a hug as she tearfully explained what a jerk-face Keith was. Ruby, perhaps not the best at dealing with intense, emotional situations, proclaimed a new solution to Belle’s sorrows involving liquor and The Rabbit Hole. Belle wasn’t much of a drinker, and had been drunk a handful of times in her lifetimes. But if there ever was a time to get roaringly drunk, it was definitely after you have lost your job, your boyfriend and your entire sense of reality in one day. 

 

~

_Dr Whale was happy to report she had no concussion, and only needed a couple of stitches to fix the gaping hole in her forehead. The way he phrased it made Belle want to punch him in his smug face, like all her problems could be fixed with a couple of stitches in her forehead. Several hours later, Belle made the long and tiring walk home from the hospital. With no car keys to drive herself, and Keith not picking up every time Belle tried to call him to come get her, Belle finally stumbled through her apartment door exhausted as Keith was getting out of the shower._

_“Hey babe how was work? I was thinking Chinese for-Oh my God! What happened?” Keith came rushing over when he finally saw the look on Belle’s face, and the impressive bandage Dr Whale had insisted on taping to her face._

_“I lost my job, and my keys…and my dignity. Though not necessarily in that order.” Belle explained, and Keith pulled her into a tight hug as his shoulder bumped Belle’s cut._

_“Well it’s not like the library was that great of a job anyway, you never got anyone in there!” Keith tried to comfort her, but only made Belle start to cry._

_“Hey, hey hey! None of that! You don’t need a good cry.” Keith proclaimed, as he raced over to the wardrobe and started skimming through articles of clothing. “You need…..a good drink! Come on! We are going out tonight and drinking your sorrows away. Then drinking some more!”_

_Belle couldn’t help but smile as Keith began to plan their entire evening, in his dim way to making Belle feel better. And on some level it was working, as a distraction at least perhaps not a solution to the problem. Belle changed into a dress she had bought several years ago, but was never bold enough to wear out- a heavily sequined, backless little number paired with even bolder high heels. Belle was not much of a drinker, and today was only the start of a very long road to fixing her life, and alcohol was only an easy fix to it all. For one night, Belle needed the simple- when she knew her life was about to take a vastly different turn after this._


End file.
